Does a foreigner need a visa to come to France?

Verified 12 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

It all depends on your nationality and the length of your stay.

You can check if you need a visa using the Visa Assistant service:

Check if you need a visa - Visa Assistant

You must complete all of the following conditions when crossing the border:

  • Have a passport (or other travel document) issued for less than 10 years and whose validity is at least 3 months longer than the scheduled date of your departure
  • Have a valid visa issued by a country Schengen, if your nationality so requires (a online service makes it possible to know)
  • Justify the purpose and conditions of your stay (private or professional trip, acknowledgement of acceptance or proof of accommodation, repatriation, etc.)
  • Have insurance covering medical and hospital expenses, including social assistance, for the care you could receive in France (the minimum coverage requested is €30,000)
  • Not to be reported for the purpose of non-admission in the Schengen Information System
  • Not pose a threat to public order, internal security, public health or international relations of any of the countries Schengen
  • Have sufficient resources (cash, bank cards, etc.) or be able to acquire them legally (professional activity, etc.).

The level of resources required per day of stay in France varies according to the proof of accommodation:

  • If you have a welcoming certificate: €32.50
  • If you have proof of a hotel room reservation: €65
  • If you do not have proof of a hotel room reservation: €120.

Please note

The visa shall not be issued in the following cases:

  • Foreigner who has been under an obligation to leave France for less than 5 years and does not provide proof that he left France within the time limit granted, except in humanitarian circumstances
  • Nationals of States insufficiently cooperating on readmission, except for spouses of French nationals
  • Foreigner who has been the subject of a judicial ban on the territory, an expulsion decision, a ban on return to the territory of France, a ban on movement on the territory of France or an administrative ban on the territory.

If you need a visa, you must submit your visa application online (no more than 3 months) before departure provided) with the French consular authorities of the country where you live:

Applying for a visa

FYI  

Since October 12, 2025, the European Entry/Exit System (EES) is deployed gradually over 6 months at border crossing points (airports, stations and ports). This system records the personal data as well as data on entry, exit and refusal of entry third-country nationals who come to France for a stay of less than 3 months.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Administrative information by phone - Allô Service Public

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